A/N: The summer arc is here! In the story and real life! It's been wicked hot here, so I hope everyone has been coping with the heat okay.

Enjoy the chapter!

….

Her day wasn't starting very peacefully, if Kagome was being honest. Finding the little animal trail she was currently on had been fun, and being among the briers and the berries was a beautiful sight that evoked pleasant memories from her childhood. But the heat crushing her with its oppressive haze was doing a pretty good job of ruining what energy she might have had for being out here, trying to pick berries. And that wasn't even accounting for the bear tracks she'd seen.

She shuddered. Maybe coming out here alone wasn't such a great idea. But Inuyasha was away on a job, and she wanted to surprise him with some sweet bread when he got back. Sango had helped her formulate a recipe based very loosely on the berry pies she'd described from the future. Her husband had a soft spot for modern sweets and the summer foliage was perfect for trying some substitutes out.

Picking her way into the clotted center of the berry bush she was currently on, Kagome pinched her fingers around a particularly ripe berry to pull it from the stem and place it in her basket. Thorns scraped against her skin from where she had her sleeves rolled up, but surprisingly that didn't bother her much. She'd been sustaining nicks and cuts ever since she came to the Sengoku Era from traipsing around in a skirt. Still, she tread a little gingerly through the brambles. It was one thing to have her mother fix any tears in her sturdy uniform, but another now that she'd have to fix her clothes herself.

It was as if she'd cursed herself. Next thing she knew, she felt a knotting and pull in her hair, which she'd pulled up into a ponytail to alleviate the heat. Growling in frustration, Kagome reached back to painfully detangle the briers, but in doing so she only caused her sleeve to get caught as well. She decided she'd have to set the basket down and use both hands to get free. She'd just made that basket. Having it get covered in dirt and thorns already was enough to escalate her frustrations at the situation.

"Ugh, I really hope Inuyasha's having a better time of it than me..." she grumbled.

…

For his part, Inuyasha was indeed at least coping better with the heat, though it was likely more to do with his blood than anything else. And it turned out using the Kaze no Kizu was pretty good for cooling off an area. Still, at Kagome's insistence, he'd also tied up his hair to let his back and neck air out while working.

A small otter youkai was their mark, using a razor-sharp shell and a sea urchin as weapons. It wasn't very strong, but it was nimble, weaving in and out of village homes that Inuyasha wasn't inclined to want to blow up. Eventually Miroku was forced to place an ofuda – which he charged liberally for – on each house in the hamlet to keep the little pest out in the open. A well-placed swipe from Tessaiga took care of it from there.

The walk home started out irritably. "Can we ever just do a job without you scamming people out of house and home?" Inuyasha shifted his heavy load filled with rice, fruits, and lentils. "This is charging way too much, you greedy creep."

Miroku only clapped him on the shoulder. "Now now, my friend. You shouldn't undermine your own time and efforts like that. Besides, we both have families to feed."

"So do they. Ugh, hell, I'm taking this back. I never should have let you take it!"

The monk sighed good-naturedly. "Sometimes I am convinced you're possessed by the Buddha, the way you scold me." Nevertheless, he waited as Inuyasha stomped back to the village.

The people didn't seem to know what to do, wanting to make sure they gave a proper payment, but Inuyasha insisted that they had overcompensated. After that, they accepted it back gratefully. Miroku didn't seem too upset on losing out – in fact he just gave the hanyou a knowing smile when he came back. Inuyasha ignored him and made for home.

…

Oh no, no, no...

Kagome had successfully detangled herself from the bush, but found carrying all those berries to have a very unwanted side effect.

"Go away, bear," she crooned nervously, tossing yet another of her stash into the animal's path, hoping to distract it away from her. "That's a good bear, just leave me alone, please..." It wasn't overly big, but she wasn't entirely sure how big bears usually got. They weren't exactly common in Tokyo, and being with Inuyasha typically kept most mortal predators a safe distance away. At least tossing berries was doing just that, for now.

Kagome sighed in relief when her husband's forest came into view. The bear stopped, sniffed, then let out a little bray before turning in the opposite direction. 'Glad that's over...'

Luckily she still had plenty of berries left once she entered their home and set down the basket. Rolling up her sleeves again felt like a relief as she set about washing the pickings in some water that was now room temperature. She was busy removing all the calyxes when Inuyasha walked in.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey yourself," she responded with a smile. "How did it go?"

He came over to see what she was doing before absently fiddling with her drawn-up sleeve. "Kind of a bust, not very interesting. Just some obnoxious little otter."

"Isn't that better than getting battered up by something stronger? It's not like easy jobs are a bad thing."

"Keh. I guess... I just feel rusty from never getting a challenge anymore."

Kagome grinned, poking him in the stomach before rubbing his shoulder to soothe the annoyed glare. "Aw, worried you're already gonna get fat and lazy now that you've settled down, huh?"

His glare turned into a slight pout. "It's not that. If anything, I'm more worried about that happening to Miroku. The guy keeps 'negotiating' for more and more food."

Kagome hummed and went back to her berries. "Well, he's likely already planning on his family growing soon enough. He loves kids, I'm just waiting for news from Sango-chan that they're having another one."

"Yeah well, he shouldn't feel more entitled to it than other families. I gave most of it back."

"Back?" she glanced at him curiously.

"Yeah, the food payments. I just don't like the idea of taking that much... What?"

She was beaming gently at him, and offered a particularly plump berry. A little disappointed when he didn't open his mouth to let her feed him and merely reached to take it, she still gave him an adoring look when she said, "I'm proud of you."

He only blinked at her. "For what? Isn't it normal?"

"Not always," Kagome affirmed. "The fact that it's normal to you is one of the things I've always loved."

He 'hmph'ed in acknowledgment. "Easy to please, aren't you?"

"Only with you," she teased back, making him blush. She bumped his hip with hers. "Well since you didn't burn off the energy you wanted to, do you want to help me mash some of these up?"

"Sure, I guess."

…

Inuyasha yawned from the shade of his home's eaves, leaning back on his hands with a contented smile. The pastries that Kagome had made were delicious, and put him in a good mood despite the heat. The woman in question was currently making the rest of the berries into preserves. He could hear her humming from inside the hut as she worked.

Rin was paying a visit and presently sat near him under the shade. She'd been helping here and there with everyday chores so that Kagome could focus on her miko duties when needed. Inuyasha guessed she must just like to be useful, though he was kind of glad she was taking a break now. She was still a kid, after all.

"Oh!" the girl suddenly exclaimed. "There's a robin! I wonder if the bird singing from that other tree is its mate, then?"

"Hmm..." Inuyasha hummed to acknowledge her. "That's a finch, and I think it's actually scolding it for being too close."

"Huh? Inuyasha-sama, you can tell birds apart from their songs?"

"Some of them. It's useful to know which ones hang out around edible fruits or will warn about predators."

When he looked absentmindedly over at Rin, he almost flinched. The kid was looking at him with veritable stars in her eyes. "That's so amazing, Inuyasha-sama! I was listening to all the birds to try and figure them out. I've always loved doing that when it's quiet."

"Well..." Inuyasha began hesitantly, "I don't know the names of a lot of them, but there's one of those blue and white ones, and a few of those ones that look grey and yellow. Close by, anyway."

"A blue-and-white flycatcher and warbling white-eye!" Rin supplied. "Wow, you can hear all that?"

"Well, yeah..."

The girl flopped back on her back with a sigh. "I wish I was part youkai."

Inuyasha smiled a little in spite of himself. "Nah, being a human has the most advantages. You get to live a mostly safe life in a village and always have someone around. Most youkai live nomadic loner lives, like Sesshoumaru. I definitely don't miss it."

"Yeah," Rin agreed, "I guess I don't, either. I was more alone in the village I lived at before meeting Sesshoumaru-sama, but being here is nice. I don't have to steal my food and nobody hits me."

"Yeah," Inuyasha repeated softly. "Me too."

He couldn't say it wasn't weird to be hearing about a kid having a better life for having Sesshoumaru in it. He definitely wasn't going to tell Rin that his half-brother had been one of the primary forces in trying to kill him growing up and had only lost interest in that idea fairly recently. He probably had this girl's influence to thank, really. He didn't know too much about her in detail, but if listening to birds for her made her feel some semblance of a normal life again, then it was the least he could do.

"What'cha two doing?"

Kagome's voice had them both turning their heads. "Just bird watching," Inuyasha told her with another big yawn.

"Inuyasha-sama was telling me what birds live in the area," Rin supplied in more detail, moving to sit up again. "He can tell just from the sounds!"

Kagome came to sit next to her husband, smiling at the excitement in Rin's voice. "Really? He's been keeping secrets."

"Keh."

Kagome continued, "You know, I bet there are lots of nests around here. Maybe it would make Rin-chan happy to see some of those."

He sighed. "Am I a babysitter now?"

"You won't show her?"

"I didn't say that."

His wife giggled. "Great! It sounds like fun. We can all go."

"Hmph."

Not five minutes away from their home was a cluster of trees some songbirds seemed to particularly like, that subsequently had some nests in them. Rin was ecstatic and started climbing one of the trees to get a better look.

"Don't hurt yourself, kid," Inuyasha huffed worriedly. To stop her from doing so, the hanyou hopped up to the branch Rin was currently monkey-hanging from, grabbing her obi to haul her upright and secure.

Thanking him, the girl in question scootched forward on the branch to peer at the nest. Deciding he could leave her to it, Inuyasha let himself descend again to land next to Kagome.

"Since when did you get so good with kids?" his wife asked him coyly.

"You need to work on your jokes."

"I'm serious!" she giggled. "I bet even Sesshoumaru-onii-san doesn't do things like that for her."

"That's because he's a cold bastard to everyone."

More giggling. "I'm saying you're not. And it's appreciated by your niece."

Inuyasha made a sour face. "Ugh, stop saying that... It's weird..."

"Okay, family man."

Rin interrupted them. "Do you know what kind of bird laid these, Inuyasha-sama?"

"Uh, one of those warbly things you mentioned. Lots of them around here."

The young girl worked her way back down the tree – much more carefully this time – and came to stand beside them. "Thank you for showing this to me, Inuyasha-sama! Would it be okay if I came here sometimes to watch the birds?"

Inuyasha blinked, perplexed. "I ain't gonna stop you."

"Isn't this your forest?"

"Uh..." he scratched at the back of his head. "Well kinda, but not in that way."

Kagome, saving him from his awkward explanations, keyed in. "Of course, Rin-chan. Stop by whenever you like."

…

"Kaede-obaa-chan?" Kagome asked idly.

"Hmmm?" the old woman hummed in acknowledgment. She was checking the herbs in her garden for bruising and insects while Kagome was practicing her sewing in the doorway to the elderly miko's home.

"Did you ever think about getting married?"

Kaede released the leaf she'd been inspecting to look up at her. "I can't say I did. It's not... conventional, and the opportunity never really arose. After my sister's death, I had to take up her role rather quickly and I'm afraid there was no time for romance."

"Oh... I hadn't thought of that. I guess I thought they brought in someone temporary..."

"Well our village is rather isolated as it is, but with a sealed hanyou haunting our forests I think even more people kept away." Kaede chuckled in good humor, but her earlier words still bothered Kagome.

"Did you ever think about... giving up on being a miko?"

"I did, whenever my sister drilled me too hard I would often threaten to quit. However it was a somewhat natural progression after she passed. I not only felt like I owed it to her, but to the village. The people here lived a life of being targeted by youkai for the Jewel. Even after it was gone, that kind of life leaves an impression on people, and many were deeply unsettled without their protector. I believe that's why they're so welcoming of you and Inuyasha, as well. You two have given them a life where they needn't fear most anything."

Kagome picked at her sewing project, pinching the loose threads between her fingers. "I'm really grateful to everyone here... for welcoming me and making me feel at home."

"After we all assumed you were a kitsune in disguise and tied you up, you mean," Kaede laughed.

Kagome followed suit. "Well yeah, after that. I know this place means a lot to Inuyasha, too. He has something to protect, and a place to be accepted."

"Inuyasha has a lot more than that now, thanks to you. Have you two talked about what you want now that you're married? Should the village expect little quarter-youkai to be running around soon?"

"Eheh... not quite that far ahead, no... We both agreed we'd like to enjoy life just the two of us for a bit longer. To be honest, I don't even know if Inuyasha wants children at all. But if I know him then it's probably at least crossed his mind. I don't want to sound like I'm pressuring him to think about it right now. We're both okay with waiting."

Kaede hummed in thought. "Yes, it may not always seem like it but Inuyasha has matured quite a bit. I would only hope he's not leaving the full decision to you. He doesn't always think about his own wants in life."

"If that turns out to be the case then we'll definitely talk, but right now our paces seem to match."

Their talk was abruptly interrupted by a third voice, much smaller than either of theirs. "Excuse me... Kaede-sama? Kagome-sama?" The voice belonged to a little girl no older than eight years old, who peered at them with doe-like eyes. "I, um... I can't find my brother. He's so little, but... he disappeared. I don't even know if he's in the village and mama's still in the fields, and papa won't be back until sundown... I was supposed to watch him, and..."

It was clear the panic was catching up to the poor girl and Kagome immediately got up to try and soothe her. "It'll be okay – um, Kisa-chan, right? I'll help you find your brother. Where did you last see him?"

Kisa sniffed. "I was picking some elderberries near the village outskirts. Kogoro was playing with Nana, our dog... She usually stays with us when mama and papa are out, so I thought he was okay without me watching him... But when I finished, they were both gone! What if a bear ate them?!"

Kagome winced, remembering her bear encounter this morning. It was unlikely that's what had happened, but there were plenty of similarly distressing outcomes. She took Kisa's hand, quickly ushering her along towards the forest. "I'll be back, Kaede-obaa-chan. If Inuyasha comes looking for me here then please tell him I need his help."

…

Inuyasha was helping some men round up a stubborn ox when he saw Kagome rushing towards the edge of the village with a kid in tow. That itself wasn't all too strange – she was tasked with entertaining children a lot now – but there was clear worry on her face. Concern rising within him, the hanyou grabbed the ox's horn from where two farmers were now trying to grapple with it and tugged it snorting and stomping to the plow. He didn't blame the thing for not wanting to work in this heat, but the whole village would be worse off if it didn't, and it had wasted enough of his time.

"If he acts up again and you have trouble, call me. But I think he'll be fine to work if you give him a rinse off."

"Sorry for the trouble, Inuyasha-sama," one of the men apologized. "He's usually so docile."

"I get grumpy when I'm hot too," Inuyasha replied, dusting himself off a little. "And I told you not to call me 'Inuyasha-sama' just because of Kagome. Just my name worked fine before. Anyway, if you have things covered here then I've gotta check on something. See ya."

When he found Kagome, she and the little girl were calling for someone. She sensed him and whipped around to regard him with a relieved smile. "Inuyasha! Thank god!"

"Did something happen?" Now that he was closer, he could definitely smell the sweat and anxiety radiating off both girls.

"Kisa-chan – her little brother, he went missing. Um, I guess he'd have her scent on him... Oh, and a dog! Their dog might be with him, if that helps!"

"I can hear a dog whining, further in," he said, swiveling his ears toward the sound.

"Oh no..." Kagome looked like she'd been struck, and he guessed there might be some extra context that he was missing, but he didn't need to know it to understand what she was asking of him.

"You both stay here in case it's dangerous. I'll bring him back." With that promise, Inuyasha dashed further into the woods.

The dog turned out to be remarkably well-hidden, and if not for his acute senses he could very well have missed her. She was obscured in the midst of some bracken and other foliage, digging fervently at the ground and pacing. She growled when Inuyasha peeled back the overgrowth to approach, but he snarled back until she cowered away. Satisfied the dog wasn't going to get in his way, he crouched to the ground and began sniffing for any traces of the boy.

Surprisingly, the entire ground was covered in the scent. Upon further inspection, the dirt a bit away from that spot looked like it had given in lately. Maybe it had collapsed from the dry weather. That let him piece together what might have happened, and his heart sped up as he started digging where the dog had been. The dirt was hard-packed and stubborn to move. It reminded him of those little grey paths from Kagome's time. His strength proved enough to get it to yield though, and soon he was gently brushing aside loosened soil until it all gave way to reveal a sunken tunnel of sorts. It could have been an old animal burrow or maybe that of a burrowing youkai, but there was the boy. Caked with dirt and grime and gasping for breath, his big dark eyes stared wide and disbelieving at Inuyasha. More dirt sifted as the kid curled in on himself, clearly shaken by everything.

Inuyasha extended his hand, but the boy did not take it. Realizing it would probably be better to calm him down rather than have him scream bloody murder at being grabbed, Inuyasha let out a shaky sigh. "Er... Do you know who I am?" A small nod. Well, that was a good start. "I'm here to take you back home. Can you move?"

Another nod, more shifting, and then a small voice, "Where's Nana?"

Inuyasha was trying to think who the hell Nana was, when the dog slinked over to peer down into the hole. Despite her trembling, he could see the wag of her tail when she spotted the kid. Hoping that would help the child calm down, Inuyasha tried again. "What's your name?"

The response was hoarse and equally tiny to the last one. "Kogoro..."

"Kogoro, can I take you home?"

He extended his hand again, and this time the chubby little fingers grabbed on. With one smooth heave, Kogoro was pulled sputtering and coughing out of the hole that Inuyasha had made. He was about to set him on his feet, but grunted when the boy instead latched on to his arm, and then his chest. Unsure what to do, but not having the heart right now to correct it, Inuyasha tentatively brought up an arm to support the frightened and exhausted child.

Kogoro was nodding off on his shoulder by the time he got back to where Kagome and Kisa waited, having elected to walk so that Nana could follow along. Kagome came running up to examine the child for injuries. "Oh god, what happened?!"

"There was a collapse of some old animal burrow because of the dry weather, and he fell in. He seems okay now, but he might've inhaled a lot of dust. He's been coughing."

Kagome nodded, but seemed mostly relieved when she didn't find any injuries other than a few scrapes and bruises. Kogoro was now uninterested in being held and was toddling towards his sister, who embraced him as tightly as her own tiny arms would allow. The dog, Nana was already busy licking the boy's face clear of dirt while both kids cried.

"You dug him out?" Kagome asked him while watching the scene.

"Yeah. The collapse was too small to be dangerous for much other than a kid his size, but I can clear it if- mmp!"

Kagome was smothering his face with kisses, and while he did appreciate the attention, it was embarrassing and startling. "Easy! Jeez, what's that for?"

"I'm just so proud of you," she beamed.

"Keh," he said, but moved his hands to hold her sides anyway, "you always make me out to be some big hero."

"Well," she was still smiling when she allowed a bit more distance between them, "you are mine."

That quieted him, and Kagome gave his nose an affectionate boop before she left him to tend to the kids again. One bath and herbal concoction later and Kogoro was good as new, and the little family were reunited with their parents, who got quite a shock upon arriving home to the story of what their children had been up to.

It wasn't until much later that Inuyasha and Kagome arrived home to more gifts from the villagers.

…

A/N: I like to imagine the ox was the same one Inuyasha sat on to read Kagome's math books in manga chapter 25. XD Also I don't condone bullying scared dogs or letting them babysit your kids, but Inuyasha is, well... Inuyasha, and as I understand, traditional Japan had dogs act as nannies a lot back when there were fewer options.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I've had that Rin bird scene planned since almost the beginning, if you can believe it. I ended up getting caught up in showing Inuyasha being a village protector in more ways than by just fighting, and I had quite a bit of fun with it. I'm probably overall not being subtle in what I'm working up to, LOL.